US Congressional District 11, in addition to being a bit of a cursed, and repeatedly gerrymandered, seat, is pretty darn spread out. Polk is on the eastern outskirts, and the the western end is the Tennessee line. There are a lot of counties in between here and there crying out for some attention, and we’re never going to be near the top of any candidate’s priority list. Making things worse this time around is the fact that Democrat Caleb Rudow and the Republican incumbent he’s trying to displace, Chuck Edwards, are asking for votes from only about a third of Polk County — the western and northern portions that cover Saluda and Sunny View. Thanks to our state legislature and the supreme court, everything else was transferred to NC 14 last year.
To be fair, Rudow paid a brief visit to our little corner of District 11 on Coon Dog Day. And I am sure he’ll pop by again before election day. But given how little local news coverage there is left these days, this interview might be your best chance to learn why Rudow wants a shot at representing us, and the rest of a district that hasn’t chosen a Democrat since two thousand ten. We talked in the Democratic Party’s Asheville headquarters.
Resources
Caleb Rudow campaign site: https://www.rudowforcongress.com
Find your district here:
https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/
State of emergency voting provisions: https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2024/10/07/bipartisan-state-board-unanimously-approves-measures-help-wnc-voters
Polk County Board of Elections: https://www.polknc.gov/board_of_elections_2.php
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